Final Fantasy 8: Gaiden
by GaiaSolaris
Summary: Please R&R! 22 years have passed since the Second Sorceress War. In a time of peace, a terrorist action prompts SeeD to send 4 new recruits to investigate, but they'll need the assistance of a man thought to have betrayed SeeD long ago.


**A/N: Alright, little history. I've been a member here for a while, and I reposted this story after a long series of editing (which I'm still going through). This started off as a collab fiction with about 6 people, but 6 then became 2, and we're working on it together. Unfortunately, she's without a computer after moving house, and I'm editing the whole thing together by the time she gets back. Anyhow, this is Chapter 1. The whole of this used to be four chapters, but I put them all together to make one. Hope you enjoy it!**

**-GaiaSolaris**

* * *

The sun was just beginning to set, causing the snow-capped peaks of the northern Trabia Mountains to seem as if they were on fire. Nestled at the base of those beautiful mountains was Trabia Garden, a noble and more expansive copy of the former one destroyed in the great Sorceress War. It'd had been 22 years since the war had ended, and in that time, the world steadily began to rebuild itself from the conflicts. In that time the mercenary organization known as 'SeeD' gradually became more popular. As the years went by, the members of SeeD steadily rose, and became more of an elite force rather than soldiers for hire. It was also due to popular demand that Trabia Garden, destroyed by a barrage of missiles in the war, was rebuilt within the mountains. Though Balamb Garden continues to be the heart of SeeD's operations, Trabia Garden has earned much respect and admiration nearly equal to that of the mighty Balamb. In fact, many students from Balamb take the privilege of being transferred to Trabia to train there instead.

One such student was Rinza Almasy. Fiercely competitive and a fearless young woman, Rinza, or 'Rin' as her friends called her, joined SeeD without a second thought. She used the story that she wanted to become a SeeD to protect the world, as most say. But everyone knew, even those who didn't know her, what her real intentions were. Unfortunately for her, she was an Almasy. Her father at one time foolishly chose to fight on the wrong side during the Sorceress War (driven by his delusional dream of becoming a 'Sorceress' Knight'). That mistake almost cost her father his life, and even though he made up for it by switching sides once more, it caused a good deal of shame and embarrassment for the name of Almasy.

When she was merely 8 years old, Rinza lost her mother to a mysterious illness, forcing her grieving father to care for her all by himself. Rinza's father began to train her in the art of Gunblade combat, in the hopes of her someday joining SeeD and maybe restoring her family's honour. However, since he'd always wanted a son, Rinza's father often treated her harshly and coldly punished her for even the tiniest bit of failure. Once while training, Rinza angrily lashed out at her father in response to his disapproval. Blindly defending himself, her father wounded her badly, scarring her hands and left cheek. The incident shook up Rinza's father severely, which caused him to become more loving to his daughter. It also made him fear that she hated him, however, making him talk to her less and less each day. This lack of communication was one of the reasons Rinza transferred herself to Trabia, shortly after becoming a student at Balamb Garden at the age of 15.

For the past two years, she passionately strove to excel at whatever task or challenge was presented to her, earning her both admirers and enemies among the students of Trabia Garden. Well-known for her courage and refusal to give up, Rinza was frequently chosen to lead her team on training missions - especially if there was an element of danger involved. On one such mission, her team came across a pack of Thrustaevis. The entire team, one by one, was assaulted by the creatures until only Rinza remained, gunblade in hand and unharmed. Fueled by rage and deep concern for her teammates, Rinza launched a massive counter-attack against the Thrustaevis, which ended in all of them being slaughtered, either by Rinza's Gunblade or by an intense barrage of Firaga magic. Having succeeded in killing the monsters, Rinza turned to assist her teammates in healing wounds and preparing for their immediate return homeward. But before she could do anything, she promptly collapsed to the ground. Discovering that Rinza wasn't breathing, a member of the team performed CPR and barely managed to save her. Upon her return to Trabia Garden, Rinza spent an entire week recuperating in the infirmary. It was soon learned that she had a weak heart, and that the stress of the battle with the Thrustaevis was too much for her to handle - made even worse by the use of magic during it.

Three months have passed since then, and now as yet another mission is planned, Rinza pondered in her mind as to whether or not she is physically capable of carrying it out. As the setting sun cast its rosy glow on the walls of Rinza's room, the weary girl lay down on her bed and gazed wistfully at the black & chrome case leaning against the wall, which housed within it her Gunblade known as 'Knight Edge'. Being lost in thought, Rinza almost fell out of bed when she was suddenly startled by the appearance of a fellow student, Aryn Leblanc, in the doorway. "Sorry to scare you, Rin. Can we talk?" The girl asked, trying hard not to giggle. Shrugging her shoulders, Rinza scooted over to let Aryn sit down next to her.

"So what do ya wanna talk about, Aryn?" Rin asked once they were both comfortable. "You don't hang out with me that often. This must be damn important for you to suddenly feel like keeping me company." Aryn nervously gulped, and sighed heavily. Taking one of Rinza's hands in her own, Aryn looked into her eyes

"Promise me that you'll be careful on the mission tomorrow, please?" Aryn exclaimed, surprising Rin somewhat. "I don't want to see anything awful happen to you like last time, Rin. I'm still having nightmares about that day. I thank my lucky stars that I learned how to do CPR, otherwise...well...ah, jeez..." Hiding her face in her hands, Aryn sobbed. Though feeling a bit uncomfortable remembering the events of three months ago, Rinza awkwardly put her hand on Aryn's shoulder in the attempt to console her.

"Don't worry, Aryn. Hey, I'm as scared as you are about the mission." Rin tried to be comforting, and to a certain extent, it was working. "Please don't cry, though - it's not very becoming of you. And how 'come you're talking like you're not coming with me? I thought you were a member of the team..." Aryn took her hands from her face.

"I thought you knew, Rin?" Aryn asked, then explained. "Tomorrow's mission is going to be a survival training mission - only 4 students are going, and it will last three days. Not sure of all of them, but I do know that you'll have Dryden Fashima and Angel Kinneas with ya. I'm not going because I've already had that kind of training. I wish I could, though, for your sake." A bit miffed that Aryn wouldn't be with her on the mission, Rinza tried to keep calm and dug her fingernails into the bed. Letting out a depressed sigh, she got up and smiled at Aryn.

"It's OK, Aryn. At least you can be with me in spirit, anyhow." Rin joked, the two girls laughing a little. Rin looked at the time on the clock on the wall. "Well, it's getting pretty late. Maybe you should go to bed or something. Don't worry 'bout me - I'll be careful." Brushing out the wrinkles in her miniskirt as she stood up, Aryn did her best to smile back at Rinza. Just as the red-haired girl was about to step out of the room, Rinza glanced at the clock on the wall again and nearly panicked.

"Shit! Ah...shit! I totally forgot that I was supposed to go have a physical at the infirmary in preparation for tomorrow. I was to be there over an hour ago! Dammit - I gotta fly. Be a dear and close the door behind yourself, will ya Aryn? See ya!" As she said this, Rinza ran quickly from the room and sped off towards the direction of the infirmary.

Finally arriving, and quite breathless, at the infirmary, Rinza apologized profusely and seated herself on an examination table. Since she had rushed herself so much, the chief nurse thought it best that Rinza calm down before having herself checked out. Lying on the table, Rinza closed her eyes and attempted to take a brief nap. Some time later she awoke, surprised to find another student next to her on a table - and not looking so terrific, either. Apparently the guy was suffering from a stomach ache, and was moaning while holding his gut. Distracted for only a moment, Rinza came to attention as soon as she spotted the doctor enter the room.

Glancing briefly at a few papers, the doctor, Genevieve Prinzi, proceeded to check out her patient with almost motherly tenderness. Nearing the end of the physical, Miss Prinzi had Rinza take several deep breaths as she placed a stethoscope over Rinza's heart. After doing so for about a minute, the doctor wrote something on a piece of paper, before looking up at a very nervous Rinza.

"Hmmm...I think you should spend the night here just to be on the safe side." She remarked, a slight tone of worry in her voice. "I want you to be in good condition for your mission. And relax, please! For someone as young as yourself, you shouldn't be so tense all the time - it's not very healthy." As Miss Prinzi was about to leave, Rinza inquired about the other student in the room. With a deep sigh, Miss Prinzi did her best to look serious and not laugh.

"It's quite embarrassing, really." she replied, "That's a member of your team - Dryden Fashima. He's in here with a slight case of food poisoning. It seems that he'd been saving some birthday candy from nearly 3 years ago in his dorm room, and another classmate of his dared him to eat it. Don't worry about him, though. I'm sure he'll be fine by morning and ready to join you and the others on your mission." Thanking Miss Prinzi for the info, Rinza lay back down and did her best to try and sleep - a somewhat unpleasant task, courtesy of Dryden's constant moaning.

'Wow…I sure hope he's okay tomorrow.' She thought to herself as she tried to fall asleep. 'Three year old candy...absolutely gross. I wouldn't eat it even if someone threatened to kill me if I didn't.' As she finally was able to relax, Rinza drifted off to sleep - hardly noticing that her breathing sounded rather wheezy...

* * *

The next morning Dryden woke up in the infirmary room, where he had stayed for the night. He blinked a few times to wake himself up and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. Feeling a lot better now, he sat up. He then remembered why he was in the infirmary.

"Oh man! I take it I was kinda wasted. And the night before the mission - not good." he exclaimed to himself. Dryden shifted his legs over and then off the bed to stand up. He stood up and began to walk to the mirror. He looked into the mirror but he couldn't see his reflection because the room was still dark. He flipped the switch near the mirror. The light on the ceiling flashed and then went off again then flickered on. The light filled the room and Dryden had to squint his eyes because the light was too bright for him to handle first thing in the morning. He slowly opened his eyes wider once he got used to the bright light. He looked in the mirror this time seeing the reflection. Dryden noticed that he must have had a rough sleep.

"Note to self: don't drink before major mission or eat 3 year old candy!" He said to himself, and then began to laugh about it all. He turned around and picked up his leather overcoat and placed one arm though and then the other. He sat down on the bed and put his black boots on making sure the laces were as tight as possible because he didn't want them to come undone during the heat of the battle, for he had done too much embracing that term already. Dryden looked around for his belt but couldn't find it. Then he remembered he left it in his dorm because he still had his Kushio Blades attached to it. Dryden made sure he had everything before he would leave. Noticing he had everything he must have come in with he walked to the door of the tiny room. He pushed the open button and the doors opened, as the air pistons inside let out air making a 'whoosh' sound. He walked past a room but as he did he looked in through the observation slit.

He stopped. Then he walked back and looked through the observation slit again and watched a girl toss and turn as if she was having a bad dream. Dryden couldn't make out who the girl was. He looked around and picked up the observation sheet and it read:

**Name: Rinza Almasy**

Dryden knew her. She was a good friend of his. She helped him out when he lost his grandmother and grandfather. For that Dryden was grateful. They hadn't spoken since the last mission they were both on because Dryden isolated himself from her. Dryden felt responsible for what happened.

It was his fault - he was fighting two Thrustaevis and his left Kushio Blade shattered and he was trying to hold back one of them and slash the other. Rinza cast Firaga magic four times to stop the Thrustaevis from attacking from him. Then another two times to stop another one catching Dryden off guard. If Dryden wasn't trying to look impressive to make his parents proud, he would have known that this was putting too much stress onto the Kushio Blades, causing them to bounce off the monster's armour. For the Thrustaevis' armor is very strong when lightweight blades are being used to fight it.

He shook his head trying to get the flashback out of his head. "That's all in the past" he muttered to himself. "Nothing like that will ever happen again." He knew he was more responsible now and his Kushio Blades were more upgraded and will last against the armor of the Thrustaevis. When Dryden was just about to move on out of the infirmary, he was greeted by Miss Prinzi; she had walked up behind him while he was in deep thought about the past.

"Hi, Dryden, and how are you feeling today?" she asked.

"Er...I'm fine. I knew it was going to be a bad idea but--" Dryden looked at her expression and knew that any answer he gave wouldn't have been good enough for her.

"It was stupid and I won't do it again!" he replied.

Miss Prinzi smiled at Dryden." Good to hear it. Oh, and Rinza was inquiring about what happened to you last night." Miss Prinzi said, still with the smile on her face.

"She did?" he said, then looked back into the room where Rinza was sleeping.

"Yes she did. Anyway, she should be fine. I was just checking her over before the mission." she said, now looking through the observation window with Dryden. Dryden felt a cold shiver down his spine when Miss Prinzi mentioned that mission.

"How is she?" Dryden asked with a worried tone to his voice.

"Rinza is fine. Her heart is working okay but she must not cast too much magic or it will do more damage." she said, then stopped looking through the window. She walked behind her desk and then sat down in the office chain and began to type away on her computer. Dryden stopped looking through the window and walked over to Miss Prinzi's desk. His hardwearing shoes echoed on the metal floor. Dryden stood in front of her desk.

"Did I have anything else with me?" Dryden asked.

"No…I believe that's all. You'd best get going, you'll be away on that mission soon." She replied, sitting at her desk beginning to fill out some paper work. Dryden nodded and started to walk toward the door.

"Dryden?" Miss Prinzi called, and Dryden looked over his shoulder to notice the concerned expression on her face.

"Yes, ma'am?" He asked back, turning to face her.

"I know about this mission you're going on, it's been done before. To the Great Salt Lake, correct?" She inquired, receiving a nod from Dryden. She continued, "It's a very dangerous mission, particularly with the monsters that are there. Rinza is in enough trouble as it is from a medical standpoint, so promise me that you and your comrades take good care of her."

This came somewhat unexpected for Dryden. Whilst looking out for comrades wasn't unheard of, hearing Miss Prinzi speak of deep concern toward Rinza was particularly. But he knew about her heart, and he knew straight away it would cause some distress.

"You have my word, ma'am." Was his reply before he walked out of the infirmary.

Dryden needed to go to his dorm to get changed ready for the mission. He was in deep thought once he walked by the fountain in the middle of the garden. He didn't see the young girl with icy blue hair and purple streaks and bright clothing walking towards him with great speed. She didn't see him either. They crashed into each other. The girl fell backwards and landed on her bottom. Her things were all over the place. Dryden remained upright. He looked down at her. "Next time, watch where you're going, you jerk!" exclaimed Dryden, but before he could finish, he noticed just who he was talking to. It was a girl.

"I'm so sorry. I guess I was thinking too much and didn't see you…" She apologized at Dryden. He put out his hand to help her up but she refused and got to her feet on her own. "Anyway, where's the fire?" she joked, and Dryden let out a small laugh.

"I was preparing for the mission today. I guess I haven't been able to think about anything else…" Dryden replied, helping her pick her stuff up.

"Really? I'm on that mission too - the name is Angel. Angel Kinneas." The girl said, extending her hand out to shake.

"I'm Dryden Fashima." He said, and shook her hand. Angel giggled, causing Dryden to give her a blank expression. "Is there something funny with my name?" He said in an angry tone.

"No, No, sorry - just you're the guy the B dorm has been talking about. Did the three year old candy taste nice?" she giggled again while she said it. Dryden smiled back at her and laughed.

"Not really." Dryden said and laughed some more. It made him feel better about the whole thing. They stood there looking at each other for about five seconds when Angel spoke up.

"I have to go because I need to buy some supplies for the mission - see you around!"

"Yeah, I will." Dryden said, with little effort to say. Then Angel walked off and Dryden continued to walk to B dorm.

When Dryden returned to his dorm, after receiving a lot of abuse from his friends whom dared him to eat the candy, he picked up his belt with his Kushio Blades on and threaded it thought the loops on his pants. He sat down at his desk and opened his laptop, which was also his study panel. He replied to a few messages he had received when an announcement came over the speakers.

"Bing - Bong!"

"All students which are taking part in the survival mission today please meet up at the main gates for a quick briefing and last minute checks. That is all!"

Dryden smiled when her heard the message. He pulled a pair of fingerless gloves over his hands and grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder and he walked out the door, closing it behind him. As he walked down the corridor his blades swung against his leg - but Dryden was used to it. On his way to the main gate Dryden walked past the training center and stopped to use the draw point outside the entrance to it. He flung his bag down and placed his hand over the draw point, the other placed on his wrist to support the power of the draw. He thought hard of drawing the magic from the draw point and put all his energy into it. He closed his eyes now feeling the power surge through his fingertips, his fingertips glowing bright white because of the Tornado magic he was drawing. The power grew stronger and stronger. The magic surged, and then stopped. Dryden relaxed. He looked at his armband and the gauge was flashing thirty. This meant Dryden had just drawn thirty Tornado spells. Feeling pleased with himself, Dryden picked up his bag and began to continue to walk towards the main gate.

* * *

Hearing the announcement to meet for the for mission, Angel felt herself grow hot, then cold.

"C'mon, hurry up pleeeeease! I have to go!" She implored the man upgrading her hated Shinoubou.

"One moment Miss, can't rush these things you know." She sighed, and shifted uneasily from foot to foot.

"Look," she said. "I'll go and pick up...some...er...I'll just...I'll just go...be right back! Please have it done by the time I come back, pleeeeeease! I'm begging, look!" She leaned forwards over the counter, pushing her face into the mechanic's and opened her eyes very wide, trying to look as appealing as she could. The middle-aged man looked down into her eyes and blinked a couple of times.

" Right you are then, Miss, you go and get some shopping done and I'll have this done in a jiffy." Angel gave him her best smile, turned, and ran off to an item shop.

"Uh...uh...ten potions! Ten potions, please - really quickly! Please! And...two Phoenix Downs, please. I need these really really quickly!" She was starting to get frantic. They would go without her if she was too late. Opening her purse, she forked over the money needed, and replaced it in her pocket.

"Would you like them wrapped?" the girl behind the counter politely inquired, but Angel didn't have time. She swept the potions and Phoenix Downs from the counter and stuffed them into whichever pockets they would fit into, then sprinted back to the upgrade shop.

Breathing hard and nursing a stitch in her side, she leaned heavily on the counter of the upgrade shop. "Is...it...finished...yet?" she gasped. The man smiled and slid her weapon across the counter to her. She seized it gratefully and looped the chain around her waist, making it into a makeshift belt. "Thank you so much! Thank you, thank you! How much is it?"

"Uh...special discount, Miss. I'll let you have it for 50 Gil" She handed over the money silently, all the while thinking 50 Gil was still expensive for an unwanted upgrade of a loathed weapon. Then she flashed the man a quick, grateful smile and sprinted to the car that would take them to their mission.

"Angel Kinneas...you're late." It was a statement, not a question. She nodded mutely. Why couldn't this instructor just let her get in the car, instead of telling her how late she was and making her later. Behind him, the guy she'd met just a few minutes ago...what was his name? Dryden, wasn't it? Anyway, the one who ate the three year old candy. She couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face. He waved at her. There where other people there too - that girl Rinza Almasy, she'd spoken to a few times, but nothing more than "Excuse me" or "Sorry". She didn't look too pleased to see her, she thought, as the instructor's tirade swept over her. She'd heard it before, the same speech but for different things. Who was the other guy sat in there? She didn't know him at all... She took her cue and saluted absentmindedly, ducked her head and stepped inside the car, then seated herself opposite the stranger. Now that she could see him properly, she could finally put a name to his face: Artemus.

She smiled briefly, and shifted nervously in her seat. Oh, how she hated missions! How she hated the fuss and struggle, the fighting and killing. She hated it all. People wondered why she was even a SeeD at all, but then people did. They mostly left her alone when they found out she didn't share their "blood lust". But how could she not be a SeeD? She'd had her place at Garden saved for her since she was born, she knew that. All because of her parents. Angel shook herself mentally, crossed her legs and began to play with her hair, twisting a strand that flashed a bright metallic purple in the sunlight slanting through the windows of the car. She was just slipping into a daydream...when...

"Angel...hey, Angel!"

"Wha...what?" She looked up into Dryden's face. Across the car, Rinza was giggling and Artemus was giving her a strange look. She felt herself colouring slightly. "What is it?"

"You're a...a..." Angel looked at Rinza blankly, as realisation slowly dawned. Gods, anyone would think it was swearing. She decided she'd had enough.

"Pacifist. Pa-ci-fist. Yes. I do not like fighting. I think its stupid and a pointless waste of time. I came to Garden because I already had a place reserved and I wanted to be a medic, but I couldn't since my parents booked me on a SeeD training course. My beliefs make me a social outcast and I get called many, many names." She beamed at them. "Does that answer everyone's questions?" False brightness. Put on a front. Glance around the car.

Rinza and Dryden looked slightly stunned, as if they'd been slapped, and Artemus looked as if he'd just found the answer to everything. That confused her. "Do continue," she added, smiling at Dryden, hoping he couldn't see past her smile to the silent hurt in her eyes.

Dryden shook his head. "It doesn't matter Angel, don't worry about it." Gradually, the chatter returned. Dryden and Rinza were talking animatedly about something to do with the mission, and Artemus was still staring blankly at Angel. She was starting to get scared.

Why weren't they at Balamb yet? They should be there by now. Just as she was thinking this the car slowed, and wound its way between rows of shops and houses, then past Balamb hotel to the port. As soon as the car stopped, Angel opened the door and jumped out, taking the opportunity to stretch, cat-like, in the sun. Extending her arms above her head and arching her back, she could practically taste the instructor's disapproval. "Grow up, you," she muttered, under her breath. She continued to stretch some suppleness back into her body, until she heard her joints crack. Feeling more like herself again, she relaxed and smiled vaguely. Then she turned and walked straight into Artemus. Apologising profusely, she backed away into Dryden, tripped over her own feet and fell abruptly to the floor. She sighed. "Great," she thought to herself. "I think this is getting a little repetitive, though." Again, Rinza was trying not to laugh, Dryden looked bemused and Artemus...well, he seemed to have snapped out of his daze. That was a start. She stood up unsteadily. With any luck her Shinoubou would be snapped, but to her dismay, it was still in one piece. Grimacing, she made her way over to the little covered boat with the rest of her group, wondering where they were going and what on earth they had to do this time, and why they had chosen her to go...

* * *

Dryden and Rinza continued chattering the whole boat ride and nothing seemed to shut them up. Angel had stretched out and was now lying on two chairs next to each other and Artemus was sitting on a chair across from her. He was quietly writing something on a notepad, stuck in his own little world. She'd heard about him from the other students at Trabia. He was very intellectual, and knew a fair amount of information about SeeD, its past, as well as the history of the globe. However, due to his dedication to study, he was also very shy since he never really talked to many people. This didn't make him a social outcast, as he had a sparse amount of friends, but he always kept to himself.

Angel looked at him from where she was sitting. He was wearing baggy blue jeans with a white long sleeve, and over that long sleeve was a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just above his elbows. He had slightly long brown hair where the fringe covered over his eyes slightly, but underneath he could see a strange pattern in his eyes. They were ice blue, as if he were wearing contacts.

He was in deep concentration, writing at a quick speed over his notepad…

_What she means to me!  
It's hard to write the meaning of -------,  
It's hard to write how she makes me feel,  
It's hard to tell her how I feel,  
She is always here for me,  
She is always making time to talk to me,  
She is always cheerful no matter what.  
She makes me so happy it's unreal,  
She makes me want to jump around with happiness,  
She makes me wish that she was here with me right now,  
Damn this shyness,  
Damn this distance that keeps me away from her,  
Damn, why am I writing this?  
Anyway I hope she knows how I feel about her,  
Anyway if she doesn't I will try to make it clear to her,  
Anyway I know she knows I really care about her,  
Oh I wish she was here,  
Oh I wish I could hold her,  
I hope this makes her happy or blush  
I hope it doesn't make her feel hate towards me,  
I hope she likes it,  
Because if there is any place I'll be is with her,  
Because I really really care,  
Because I..._

"That's beautiful…" Angel said. U known to him, Angel had walked over to him and was watching him writing. Artemus jumped, and snapped out of his daze. "Huh? Wha? Oh ummm, thank you..." His hand started shaking, and hurriedly put the notepad away in his backpack. Angel looked at him curiously, and made him even more nervous by sitting next to him.

"What's wrong, Artemus?"

"Nothing, really - it's nothing." He was shivering now, the hair on his arm stood on end, making him look even more nervous. She grabbed his hand and held it. "You're ice cold, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine, really!" Angel got close to him, and he could smell her perfume. This made him all the more nervous, and he quickly apologized and moved over somewhere else. Angel watched him leave with a strange expression on her face, but eventually smiled at him as he sat down. Rinza chuckled and whispered to Dryden, "He likes her."

"Yeah, that's obvious in itself." Dryden mused looking over at Artemus who was breathing in and out slowly. "The guy's shy around girls, that's all."

"You know him personally?" Rinza asked curiously as Dryden turned to look at her.

"Well, kind of. He's in my class and we sometimes visit the training centre together." Dryden explained.

"I heard he uses a bow and arrow…" Rinza mentioned, hoping Dryden would inform her about it. Across where Artemus was sitting previously, he left his bow and arrow leant up against the chair. It was long in length, and had a red ruby placed in the middle that shone fairly brightly. Next to the bow was a case of arrows, carrying at least 30 of them.

"Yeah, pretty ancient weapon, but you should see him with it!" Dryden explained. "He can pick anything off from a distance! Fact, I think he'd make a good sniper."

Just as Dryden had finished, there was a voice over the tannoy system.

'This is an announcement for all participants in the SeeD Field Exam. Please report to the briefing room immediately for your assignment. That is all.'

Dryden was the first to stand, looking very enthusiastic with a big smile on his face. "Alright, let's go!" He shouted, before making his way up the stairs. Rinza shook her head, picked up her gunblade, the Knight's Edge, and swung it over he back in its sheath before making her way up the stairs. Artemus watched them go up, then began to stand up. He was tapped on the shoulder, and he turned his head round to see Angel looking at him. She held his bow and arrow in her hands, although not willingly.

"Here…you forgot this." Angel quickly gave it to him before hurriedly making her way up the stairs. She didn't want to be late again.

* * *

When Artemus arrived in the briefing room, he was greeted by the instructor who had accompanied them. He had a stern expression on his face, and looked at Artemus with a kind of disappointment. Artemus gulped and saluted him, just to see if he could get on his good side. He then walked past him and over to the table in the centre of the room. It was a rectangle shape, and was black on top. Around the table were various buttons and mechanics, so this was obviously a briefing table, one of the latest. Dryden and Angel stood by one side, whilst Rinza stood alone by the other. Seeing Angel wave playfully at him, he went red and made his way over to Rinza. Rinza looked at him and nudged him playfully.

'Why do I always get this?' He thought.

"Attention!" The instructor shouted, and all the SeeD trainees stood to attention. The instructor saluted the SeeD commander who walked through the door, and she saluted back to him. She made her way over to the front of the table, carrying a clipboard and some files. She was dressed in the standard SeeD uniform, which was black with red and gold patterns. She stood at the front of the desk, and the trainees saluted her.

"At ease." She said in a soothing kind of voice. The trainees stood at ease. "Alright, my name is Xu. I'll call your names off first, then we'll get to the briefing." She brought up her clipboard and produced a pen from one of her pockets. "Rinza Almasy."

"Yes, Miss!" Rinza called.

"Dryden Fashima."

"Yes, Miss!"

"Angel Kinneas."

"Present."

"Artemus Kovalov."

"Here, Miss."

"Alright everyone's here. Good. Now for your briefing." Xu took the files she was carrying and passed them to each of them. They all contained the same information and the same material and equipment they'd need. After that, Xu pressed a button on the side of the table, and the room darkened. The black table flickered to live, and a hologram appeared, showing a satellite map of the Great Salt Lake. On the map, there were grids, marked by numbers horizontally and letters vertically.

"This mission will take place here, in the Great Salt Lake." Xu began as the SeeDs studied the map carefully. "In one hour, you'll arrive on the shores near the Great Salt Lake. Once here, you'll receive equipment vital to the test, as well as supplements of Draw points if you need them. After this, follow the abandoned railroad to get to the Great Salt Lake. Once you're there, the mission will officially begin. This will be a reconnaissance mission that will last over three days. It will test physical, mental and tactical elements that will decide your enrolment in SeeD." Xu pressed another button, and the hologram zoomed in onto a specific area, marked A3.

"You'll start here," Xu continued "And from here you must make your way to your targeted area. Each day will have a different start and finishing point that you must reach by the time limit. If any of you do not reach that area in time, you will automatically fail the test. Remember that. Any questions?" Artemus raised his hand first. "Yes, Artemus?"

"What kind of resistance will we be up against?" He asked.

"I'm not going to lie to you. The monsters in the GSL will be fairly difficult to beat. But thankfully, they are all located over different areas," Xu explained, pointing toward the hologram. "So encounters should hopefully be few. But stay on your guard at all times." Dryden was the next to raise his hand. Xu looked at him and nodded her head.

"What should happen if one of us gets…I dunno, severely injured or something?" Dryden asked, and everyone wanted to know as well.

"If that happens, then someone must stay with that person and wait for SeeD to pick them up. Don't worry, you will be monitored all the time by us, via your life signs as well Molocron Cameras, so we'll know if something is wrong." Xu explained. Rinza raised her hand.

"Is there a leader for this operation?"

"No. We've decided against that, as it has caused…problems in the past." Xu explained, although Rin couldn't decide whether it was a statement or a stab at her family. "For this mission, you will all work together as a team. That will also play a vital role. Any other questions?" No one had anything else to say. "Alright. In those files, you'll find a map of the Great Salt Lake, a compass, a marker pen, and a Transmitter. You'll receive announcements through the Transmitter, so keep it about your person. The rest of your equipment will be given to you on shore. That is all for now. Good luck."

* * *

The group arrived at the shore a little later than expected but the mission didn't start officially until they reached the Great Salt Lake, so it was of no matter. The boat docked at the port, where SeeD representatives had already taken their places. The port itself looked fairly new, and stood out amongst the barren landscape leading to the Great Salt Lake. It had only been there for at least five years, having been constructed on SeeDs request to Esthar. Since the end of the Sorceress War, the relationship between Esthar and the rest of the world became more and more open, and they no longer shrouded themselves off from the rest of the world. Since that time, President Laguna Loire had made negotiations with SeeD and helped them to fund any losses it had during the war. That's how Trabia was rebuilt.

As soon as the boat docked, the SeeDs were off the boat and met with the representatives. They each checked their names to make sure they were all accounted for, and also checked their person for any equipment or items illegal to the exam. They found none. Satisfied with their search, they then handed each of them their additional items needed for the mission. They were each given a backpack, inside each were tents, food and water, and portable stoves. Once they had their packs with them, the students went to the Draw points to stock up on their magic. Dryden stocked up on the more powerful spells, such as Bio, Quake and Flare, whilst Artemus stocked on elemental spells like Firaga and Thundaga. There was no need for Blizzaga, as it would most likely not cause any effect to the monsters they were going up against. Unbeknownst to them, the SeeD representatives were marking down what magics they were taking with them. Rinza took notice of this as see drew some Fires and Thunders. 'Must be part of our marking', she thought, 'Perhaps to test our intelligence.'

Angel meanwhile had finished packing her equipment into her backpack. She was the most organized, as she put the file she received from Xu into the pack, making sure not to lose it. 'If they were to lose theirs, I guess its all up to me', she thought with a feeling of dread. Once she finished packing her things, she made her way over to the draw points. The others were still stocking up on attack magic, leaving all the support magic to one side. Deciding against drawing the attack spells, she made her way over to the support magic. The SeeD representatives also took notice, and marked down this action. Rinza, not wanting to be marked down for drawing just attack, made her way over to the support and curative magic. When she reached them, Angel had just finished drawing Curagas. She looked up at her.

"Hey, Rin…" Angel started. "…Uhh, do you mind if I call you Rin?"

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Rinza said with a smile. "Sooo….how are we gonna sort this out? What's here?"

"Well, let's see…" Angel studied the supports carefully. "There are some Protects, Shells and Dispels over there. Oh! They have Auras!" Angel walked over to where they were and looked at the point carefully. "Wow, these are really rare. I wonder how much SeeD paid for them…"

"Alright, how about this. I'll take the Status magic," Rinza explained. "And you can take the Curative and Support magic."

"Sounds fine with me." Angel said with a hint of gladness, not wanting to draw even a Status magic.

After they had drawn all the spells they wanted, they gave a final salute to the representatives and walked to the Great Salt Lake. It took about an hour to an hour and a half to get there, and when they looked around them, they wished they were still in the boat. Staring back at them were glaciers, and ancient fossils that were 100 times bigger than all of the students put together. As they entered the Great Salt Lake, they were immediately attacked by a group of ice creatures - Vysages.


End file.
